The Apple Watch Walkie-Talkie app is a fun, fast, and remarkably useful feature that allows you to have instant, push-to-talk voice conversations with anyone else who owns an Apple Watch. It essentially turns your smartwatch into a classic two-way radio, perfect for quick check-ins in crowded places like supermarkets or theme parks where a phone call feels too formal or cumbersome.
To use Walkie-Talkie, both you and your friend need an Apple Watch Series 1 or later with watchOS 5.3 or later, and both devices must have an active internet connection via Wi-Fi or cellular data. FaceTime must also be enabled on your paired iPhones.
How to Add Friends to Walkie-Talkie
Before you can start chatting, you need to invite a contact to use the feature with you.
- Press the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch to view your Home Screen apps.
- Tap the yellow Walkie-Talkie app icon.
- Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap Add Friends.
- Select a contact from the list. An invitation will be sent to their Apple Watch.
The contact will appear under a section called Invited until they accept the invitation. Once they accept, their name will turn yellow, and you can begin talking to them immediately.
How to Talk Using Walkie-Talkie
Once your friend has accepted your invitation, initiating a conversation is incredibly straightforward.
- Open the Walkie-Talkie app on your Apple Watch.
- Tap the name of the friend you want to talk to.
- Touch and hold the large yellow TALK button on the screen.
- Wait for the brief chime to finish, and then start speaking while continuing to hold the button down.
- When you are finished speaking, release the button. Your friend will instantly hear your message on their end.
If your friend has their wrist lowered or is not actively looking at their watch, they will feel a haptic tap and hear a short beep before your voice plays through their speaker.
How to Turn Walkie-Talkie Off
Because Walkie-Talkie plays audio instantly, you may want to turn it off when you are in a meeting, at the cinema, or simply need some quiet time.
- Swipe up from the bottom of your Apple Watch face to open the Control Center.
- Look for the yellow Walkie-Talkie icon.
- Tap the icon to turn the feature off. The icon will turn gray.
Alternatively, you can open the Walkie-Talkie app and toggle off the Walkie-Talkie switch at the very top of the screen. If someone tries to reach you while the feature is disabled, they will receive a notification that you are unavailable, and you will get an alert that they tried to contact you.